27 stage musicals based on movies

'Pretty Woman' and 'Mean Girls' join dozens of productions that hit Broadway after they hit the big screen
By Madeline Boardman
March 20, 2017 at 01:36 PM EDT
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Pretty Woman: The Musical

Credit: Matthew Murphy

The hit 1990 film starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere has found a new home far from Hollywood Boulevard or the Beverly Wilshire — a musical adaptation of Pretty Woman opened on Broadway in August 2018, starring Samantha Barks and Andy Karl.

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Mean Girls

Credit: Joan Marcus

Get in, loser — Tina Fey's classic 2004 comedy has finally made its long-awaited move to the stage. Fey adapted her script for the musical, which began its Broadway in 2018. The principal cast includes Erika Henningsen as Cady Heron, and Taylor Louderman, Ashley Park, and Kate Rockwell as Plastics trio Regina, Gretchen, and Karen.

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Frozen

Credit: Deen Van Meer

Broadway has gotten a bit chillier since Disney opened the stage adaptation of its beloved animated hit in 2018. Patti Murin and Caissie Levy star as sisters Anna and Elsa in the production, which opened in March 2018.

Get tickets here.

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4 of 27

Groundhog Day

Credit: Manuel Harlan

The story may seem familiar: audiences relive Groundhog Day time and time again. First introduced as a Bill Murray-starring film in 1993, the story came to the London stage in 2016 and arrived on Broadway the following year.

Get the soundtrack here.

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Amelie

Credit: Joan Marcus

Amélie, an adaptation of the 2001 romantic comedy, starred Hamilton alum Phillipa Soo during its 2017 Broadway run.

Get the soundtrack here.

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Anastasia

Credit: Joan Marcus

Anastasia also made its journey to Broadway in 2017. The production, which originated in Hartford, Conn. in 2016, brings the 1997 animated film to the stage.

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Waitress

Credit: Joan Marcus

Keri Russell starred in Waitress in 2007, playing the title character in the dramedy. Eight years later, a stage adaptation of the film debuted, transitioning to Broadway in 2016.

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Hairspray

Credit: Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic

Audiences first met Tracy Turnblad in 1988, when Hairspray made its big-screen debut. The then-cult hit found a wider audience in the early 2000s, when a stage adaptation arrived in local productions and on Broadway. NBC also staged a live musical broadcast of Hairspray in 2016.

Get the soundtrack here.

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Lion King

Credit: Joan Marcus

Now celebrating two decades on Broadway, The Lion King first came to audiences as a film. The Disney movie hit theaters in June 1994 and was adapted for Broadway just a few years later. In its first year of Tony eligibility, The Lion King nabbed awards for Best Musical, Best Choreography, Best Costume Design, Best Direction of a Musical, Best Lighting Design, and Best Scenic Design.

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Aladdin

Credit: Cylla von Tiedemann

It took nearly 20 years for Aladdin to make its way from the screen to the stage. The 1992 Disney flick, which made more than $504 million at the box office worldwide, hit Broadway in 2014 after getting its start with local productions.

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Beauty and the Beast

Moviegoers met Emma Watson as Belle this year, more than a quarter-century after the original Disney animated film was released in 1991. The story also saw a hugely successful theatrical run, hitting Broadway in 1994 and traveling across the world in local productions and tours.

Get the soundtrack here.

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Billy Elliot

Credit: Alastair Muir

In 2000, Billy Elliot arrived on the big screen and earned three Oscar nominations. The drama became a musical a few years later, originating in London in 2005 and transitioning to Broadway in 2008.

Get the soundtrack here.

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Bring It On

Credit: Michael Lamont

Audiences brought it in 2000 with the release of Bring It On. The Kirsten Dunst and Gabrielle Union-starring movie was adapted for the stage in 2011, first running in Atlanta before going on tour and making it to Broadway in 2012.

Get the soundtrack here.

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Elf

Fans first met Buddy the Elf in 2003, when Elf arrived in theaters. The Christmas flick brought in $220.4 million at the box office and inspired a stage adaptation. The musical made its debut on Broadway in 2010.

Get the soundtrack here.

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Footloose

Nearly 15 years after Footloose had movie audiences dancing in 1984, the drama brought the funk to the stage. The musical debuted on Broadway in 1998 and is touring the U.K. again in 2017.

Get the soundtrack here.

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Ghost

Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore had audiences swooning in a pottery scene for the ages in 1990, when Ghost hit the big screen. Decades later, the story came to the stage, first seeing production in England before arriving on Broadway in 2012.

Get the soundtrack here.

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Kinky Boots

Credit: Matthew Murphy

British dramedy Kinky Boots saw a theatrical release in 2005, making it to Broadway eight years later. The stage production has been a huge success, winning the Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Original Score, and Best Choreography, among others.

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Legally Blonde

Credit: PAUL KOLNIK

Elle Woods found herself on Broadway in 2007, when Legally Blonde made its way from screens to the stage. The popular 2001 movie was adapted worldwide, seeing local productions and tours.

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Newsies

Credit: Deen van Meer

Disney's Newsies made its big-screen debut in 1992, starring Christian Bale, Bill Pullman, Ann-Margret, and Robert Duvall, among others. In 2012, the story arrived on Broadway, featuring new music by Alan Menken.

Get the soundtrack here.

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The Producers

Credit: PAUL KOLNIK

Mel Brooks picked up an Oscar in 1969 for his 1968 film The Producers. The film was adapted for the stage in 2001, hitting Broadway and soon making its way to other cities through national tours and local productions.

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Rocky

Credit: Matthew Murphy

With Sylvester Stallone in the starring role, Rocky made its big-screen debut in 1976. The Oscar-winning film saw the lights of Broadway decades later, hitting the stage in New York City in 2014.

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School of Rock  

Class was in session for Jack Black in 2003, when School of Rock saw a successful film release. More than 10 years later, the rock flick made its way to the stage, debuting on Broadway in 2005.

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Shrek

Moviegoers fell for a green ogre in 2001, when Shrek hit theaters with the voices of Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, and John Lithgow in tow. In 2008, the film found its way to theatergoers, hitting Broadway after debuting in Seattle.

Get the soundtrack here.

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Sister Act

Credit: Joan Marcus

Starring Whoopi Goldberg, Maggie Smith, and Harvey Keitel, Sister Act hit theaters in 1992. After bringing in $231.6 million worldwide at the box office, the film was adapted for the stage, debuting in California in 2006 and making it to Broadway in 2011.

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Sunset Boulevard

Credit: Joan Marcus

In 1951, Sunset Boulevard picked up three Academy Awards, earning acclaim for the Billy Wilder-directed film noir. Nearly 40 years later, the movie made it to the stage. Sunset Boulevard was held in local productions before making its Broadway debut in 1994, and recently returned to New York in a 2017 Broadway revival.

Get the soundtrack here.

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The Wedding Singer

Credit: Stephen Lovekin/WireImage

Nearly 10 years after the film made its debut, The Wedding Singer got to play for an entirely different audience. The 1998 movie, which starred Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore, arrived on Broadway in 2006.

Get the soundtrack here.

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 Tarzan

Credit: Joan Marcus

Disney's Tarzan hit the big screen in 1999, aided by a soundtrack from Phil Collins. The story got the Broadway treatment in 2006, recruiting Collins for the music.

Get the soundtrack here.

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By Madeline Boardman